Golf club



Jan. 1s, 1927. ,038

J.REUTER,JR

GOLF CLUB F i1ed August 23, 1926 24 922601 kn Waltz K71,

? Al a/24y,

Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES JOHN BEUTER, JR., 013 DICKINSON, NORTH DAKOTA.

GOLF CLUB.

Application filed August 23, 1926. Serial No. 130,860.

This invention relates to golf clubs and more particularly .to that kindof golf club commonly known as the putter. One of the objects of thisinvention is to eliminate certain objectionable features now present, ingolf clubs, particularly in a certain type of putter, and to otherwiseimprove upon the same. In the type of putter referred to, the drivingface is flat throughout, and the upper edge of said fiat driving surfaceis in the form of a straight line extending from end to end of thedriving face portion, which straight line is very likely toconfuse theperson using the putter in making the stroke. From actual experience ithas been observed that the eye is very apt to travel along the wholelength of the straight line so that instead of placing the center of thedriving face against the ball and striking the ball with the center ofthe driving face, the person using the putter is very likely to strikethe ball near one end of the driving face, with the result that insteadof driving the ball in the direction intended, it is driven out of thetrue course. In accordance with my invention, I have eliminated the longstraight upper edge for the driving face, and employ a curved top faceat the toe end of the head, and make the we end of the driving faceslightly curved backwardly, where by the long straight line disappears,as it were, leaving only a short approximately straight line at themiddle portion of the upper edge ofthe driving face Which serves toguide the person using the putter, in locating the same with respect tothe ball and in making the put. With these objects in view thisinvention consists in the several novel features hereinafter more fullyset forth in detail and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawing accompanying thisspecification, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a putter embodying a simple form of thepresent invention with the shaft or handle partly broken away; Fig. 2 isa plan of the putter with the handle partly broken away; Fig. 3 is afront elevation of the putter with the handle partly broken away andFig. l is an end View looking in the direction of the arrow 4 in Fig. 3.

Referring to said drawing, which illustrates a simple embodiment of thepresent invention, the reference character 5 designates the head of thegolf club and 6 a fragment of the shaft or handle which is securedthereto in the usual manner. The golf club illustrated is one commonlyknown as the putter and is of that type which employs a rather wide headhaving the driving face 7 and. the curved rear edge 8. The part of thehead which contains the driving face is somewhat higher than the rearportion of the head in order to obtain the necessary width of thedriving face and theusual practice is to make putters .of this type, ofshape in cross section, the necessary height being obtained by forming abead or rib 9 on the upper side of the substantially fiat horizontalportion 10. The sole is approximately fiat and extends from the loweredge of the driving face to the rear curved side of the head.

The middle portion 11 of the driving face is flat, but the end portion12 of a driving face, at the toe, slopes or curves backward gentlytowards the rear of the club, and if desired the end portion 13 adjacentthe neck 14: of the head may curve back slightly. The upper face of thehead or rib 9 is curved or crowned very slightly at the middle portionof the head, but the end portions 15, 16 slope or curve downwardlytowards the toe and heel of the head thereby forming the corner lines 1718 between the driving face and upper face of the bead or rib, whichcurves extend downwards and backwards towards the back of the head,thereby eliminating any long, straight upper edge for the driving faceand leaving only a short substantially straight portion at the middle ofthe head. As is usual the driving face slopes backward slightly from thesole to the top of the head.

In putting with a putter embodying the present invention, the user inplacing the club behind the ball is able to concentrate upon the middleportion of the head, because that part of the upper edge of the drivingface, which defines the middle portion of the club, is approximatelystraight and is quite short and the remainder of said upper edge slopesaway or disappears as it were from view. In other Words, the personputting with the club, is not concerned with any long line running fromend to end of the driving face, but his attention is directed by theshort approximately straight portion at the middle of the driving face,which makes it much easier and simpler for him to properly locate theclub with respect to the ball and to improve his putting strokes.

It is well known that putting is one of the difiicult features of thegame of golf and that many strokes have to be made in holing the ballafter it has been driven upon the green. lVith the present putter it isa Simple matter for experts, or even ordinary players, to improve theirgame.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possiblewithout departing from the spirit of this invention; I desire,therefore, not to limit myself to the e act form of the constructionshown and described, but intend, in the following claims, to point outall of the invention disclosed herein.

1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 7

1. A putter having a head formed substantially L shaped in crosssection, and

having a driving face which is flat solely at its middle portion andmerges into a bacle wardly curved part at the toe end, the upper face ofthe head adjacent the driving face being curved downwardly at the toeend and said backwardly curved portion of the driving face anddownwardly curved portion of the top face forming a corner, which curvesgently downwards and backwards.

2. A putter having a substantially horizontal, flat head formed with alengthwise extending head at the driving face of the head, said drivingface being flat solely at its middle portion and merging into backwardlycurved parts at the heel and toe ends, and the upper face of the beadhaving downwardly curved parts at the heel and toe ends forming cornerlines at said heel and toe which slope gently downwards and backwardsfrom the drivin face.

Joint REUTER, JR.

